Frontline mobilisation as border thinking: redefining just transitions through decolonial praxis and community organising

I analyse the coming together of frontline actors, particularly people of colour in the US, building on the concept of ‘just transitions’ to help solve the climate crisis as ‘border thinking or border epistemology’ within decolonial thought. Frontline communities are characterised by high exposure t...

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Main Author: Cleovi C. Mosuela
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Bristol University Press 2024-10-01
Series:Global Social Challenges Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1332/27523349Y2024D000000026
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author Cleovi C. Mosuela
author_facet Cleovi C. Mosuela
author_sort Cleovi C. Mosuela
collection DOAJ
description I analyse the coming together of frontline actors, particularly people of colour in the US, building on the concept of ‘just transitions’ to help solve the climate crisis as ‘border thinking or border epistemology’ within decolonial thought. Frontline communities are characterised by high exposure to climate and environmental risks; fewer safety nets because of their immigration status and insecure jobs; and less political power to respond to risks. My contribution is twofold: first, to allow reflexivity and to acknowledge that I share some sense of the lived experiences with the people I speak with in my research, I have approached our encounter through pakikipagkapwa, a Filipino indigenous concept that evokes concepts of communal support, solidarity and equality. Second, I argue that conceptualising frontline mobilisation as border thinking repositions frontline actors as creators, thinkers and knowers who harness their collective power to shift from an extractive economy, which is profiting off labour and natural resources with centralisation of profits, to a regenerative one that is ecologically and equitably sustainable. Through praxis and community organising, frontline communities reclaim their agency, challenge dominant neoliberal capitalistic relations and redefine just transitions that reflect their practices and vision of the world.
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spelling doaj-art-9effcdff2a8d4a5e89923e667e660c482025-01-20T03:34:19ZengBristol University PressGlobal Social Challenges Journal2752-33492024-10-013310.1332/27523349Y2024D000000026gscj-03-03-422Frontline mobilisation as border thinking: redefining just transitions through decolonial praxis and community organisingCleovi C. Mosuela0University of Hamburg, GermanyI analyse the coming together of frontline actors, particularly people of colour in the US, building on the concept of ‘just transitions’ to help solve the climate crisis as ‘border thinking or border epistemology’ within decolonial thought. Frontline communities are characterised by high exposure to climate and environmental risks; fewer safety nets because of their immigration status and insecure jobs; and less political power to respond to risks. My contribution is twofold: first, to allow reflexivity and to acknowledge that I share some sense of the lived experiences with the people I speak with in my research, I have approached our encounter through pakikipagkapwa, a Filipino indigenous concept that evokes concepts of communal support, solidarity and equality. Second, I argue that conceptualising frontline mobilisation as border thinking repositions frontline actors as creators, thinkers and knowers who harness their collective power to shift from an extractive economy, which is profiting off labour and natural resources with centralisation of profits, to a regenerative one that is ecologically and equitably sustainable. Through praxis and community organising, frontline communities reclaim their agency, challenge dominant neoliberal capitalistic relations and redefine just transitions that reflect their practices and vision of the world.https://doi.org/10.1332/27523349Y2024D000000026frontline communitiesdecolonial thoughtjust transitionsborder thinkingpakikipagkapwa
spellingShingle Cleovi C. Mosuela
Frontline mobilisation as border thinking: redefining just transitions through decolonial praxis and community organising
Global Social Challenges Journal
frontline communities
decolonial thought
just transitions
border thinking
pakikipagkapwa
title Frontline mobilisation as border thinking: redefining just transitions through decolonial praxis and community organising
title_full Frontline mobilisation as border thinking: redefining just transitions through decolonial praxis and community organising
title_fullStr Frontline mobilisation as border thinking: redefining just transitions through decolonial praxis and community organising
title_full_unstemmed Frontline mobilisation as border thinking: redefining just transitions through decolonial praxis and community organising
title_short Frontline mobilisation as border thinking: redefining just transitions through decolonial praxis and community organising
title_sort frontline mobilisation as border thinking redefining just transitions through decolonial praxis and community organising
topic frontline communities
decolonial thought
just transitions
border thinking
pakikipagkapwa
url https://doi.org/10.1332/27523349Y2024D000000026
work_keys_str_mv AT cleovicmosuela frontlinemobilisationasborderthinkingredefiningjusttransitionsthroughdecolonialpraxisandcommunityorganising